Can't help it!

I consider talking about Kris and James in Twitter offensive just because I myself find it trivial compared to the problems our new president will be facing. I did however react and sympathize with the 'end of the marriage'. So let me do it in this invisible space in cyber world.

Ever since Kris made The Buzz a venue for Noynoy's free advertising during the campaign period, I willingly boycotted it on my Sunday schedule. But this Sunday I made time for The Buzz because it's Kris Aquino's last day- hurray! Here goes the eksena of the year- she declares that she has given up on James and their marriage is over. WHOA, as if the whole Philippines didn't see it coming.

I personally had that thought at the back of my mind after Pres. Cory passed away. She was always the reason why Kris and James stuck together. Now that she's gone, what do we expect- she'll appear in the mirror and scare the shit in James to stay with Kris? Of course not. She's too good a soul and she probably knows it's not entirely James's fault.

I said earlier I sympathize with the end of the marriage but for the record: I am Team James. Not because I hate Kris or Noynoy Aquino- I'm trying to be objective here. (FYI I like Kris UNTIL the campaign started. )

Anyway, so why am I Team James? Or better yet why do I feel like it's Kris's fault?

1. She talks too much! She can't help but divulge things that's supposedly kept within the four walls of their home. If she has a problem with James, WHY TELL THE WHOLE PHILIPPINES? Naturally, everyone will be curious, you keep talking to the press about it, irritating James which will lead to another big fight. IF THERE'S ANYONE HERE KRIS SHOULD TALK TO, IT'S GOT TO BE JAMES. If only she took less time talking to the press and made more time communicating with James, I'm sure things will work out. Like they say, constant communication is key.

2. AYAW PATALO. James is bida in the hardcourt but other than that, it's Kris and her endless talk. I've read on Chuvaness that Kris embarrasses James all the time. Like when they were buying a car, the sales assistant asked which car James wants and then Kris was the one who answered and declared she should pick coz she's the one paying for it anyway. They were with a teammate of James that time. I could tell- he wish he wasn't there to witness the humiliation.

3. Boy Abunda. We all know he's the best friend of Kris. I'm sure we all have our best friends and we know very well that best friends DO NOT meddle with marriage. Not that we're married. But to reveal to the public the things that your best friend is going through- NOT GOOD. Unless of course, it's with Kris's consent- then let's go back to the first point. Every time Kris gets interviewed, lumalabas si James ang mali. And Boy starts sympathizing with Kris and saying all the good things to make her feel good. But what about James? He doesn't have a king of talk as his best friend. He never got to defend himself- and he never will. Coz Kris will negate it anyway.
That's my top three. I've lots of sub-points pa but that'd be a waste of time.

But of course you may say James is babaero. That's like the only thing being linked to him. I do not support being babaero- I definitely despise that but nothing was ever proven. Having a busy wife is not a reason to find another woman. But then again, maybe it's not about being busy. It's about the wife- in general. I guess they're just not made for each other.

Okay, I rest my case. I just hope that episode of The Buzz will be the last time we see a Kris Aquino drama. Really, six quiet years would change this country.

Oh, one last! Given that Kris already left their condo, and since she sold their house in Pasig to help in the elections, I have this feeling she and the kids will live with Noynoy in the Palace. HERE WE GO AGAIN! hahaha

TIME BOUND

What is one thing you'd like to buy in the future?

Me, I'd like to buy time. I want to be rich so I can enjoy each day without having to worry about what my family will eat, or where I'll sleep or how I'll afford to pay the bills.

Most of today was spent pseudo-planning my Eurotrip in the future. I checked Eurotrail, their train system. I also checked couch surfing which I first learned from Miggy. Couch surfing is basically living with a host in the country you pick instead of booking a hotel room. I'm not sure how much it costs though but I'm positive it's cheaper than a hotel (otherwise no one would sign up for it).

Later in the planning I realized I should first learn how to bike. Biking is uso in certain countries in Europe. Also, I told myself I should do this trip by the time I'm 25. At least I hope so. I'm still considering if I should do it alone or bring my mom with me, or friends. My friend Claude did her Eurotrip just this summer, right after graduation. haha She recommend that I try traveling alone though. Maybe I should noh? (She didn't exactly travel alone though. She met up with her sister there.)

Oh well, bike or not, couch surfing or hotel, I'm definitely going to Europe. And my take-home list includes photos, memories, and a hot Frenchman. teehee! Okay, that's (just!) half meant. haha ♥

Oh, for motivation I placed a photo of Paris (with the iconic Eifell tower somewhere in the photo) as my desktop wallpaper.

Don't you just love college friends?

One of the best things about college especially in schools like UP, Ateneo and La Salle is that you meet friends from all over the country! You get invited to their hometowns in the summer, sembreak or long weekends.

Then when you graduate, some of them will be assigned to different parts of the country or if they're lucky, in another country! Right now I have friends in Bangkok and Singapore. One friend, Ana made my recent Singapore trip possible. I lived with her and her family- and I super enjoyed it.

I think I'll plan my long trips in the summer. I can easily say it's my 'birthday gift' to myself and my boss will most likely approve. Maybe I'll make it a birthday tradition to visit one country every summer. Next year definitely Singapore again plus another Asian country. I'm thinking of backpacking with some friends to Cambodia.

You may be wondering why Singapore again when I can visit a new place. Well it's because my first visit was super bitin! Plus, there's the annual Great Singapore Sale. Plus, this year another friend is moving to Singapore and promised 'siya ang bahala sa amin' when we come visit! YAY!

I miss college but there are things I'm loving about not being a student. Earning and traveling would be some of them.

DON'T LAUGH

HAHAHA

So like what I tweeted, I took an exam about single-hood and here's what it says.

You don't have a boyfriend because you don't really want one. I know you think you do, but boys are not really a huge priority in your life. You see a boyfriend as, well, a male companion, and while romance is fun, just having fun is better. You're pretty carefree, and your life centers around your social life, and around your friends, not around guys. But don't worry. You'll meet a guy who is the same way, then you'll hit it off. Until then, keep shining! Guys like you, but you're like a star. They can't bring you down.

I HOPE THIS IS TRUE.

Take the test here.

Short posts but not for Twitter

Because it's hard (and sometimes embarrassing) to tweet everything that's going through my mind all the friggin time, I'm posting them here. haha

* I am currently watching Sports Unlimited and I can't help but get kilig as Marc Nelson kept cheering for Diane as she ran in the triathlon. I KNOW SHE'S MARRIED with a kid and her husband is the director of the show but imagine it's you, single, and then running. Hearing someone like Marc cheer for you in every pitstop AND running with you on the last stretch IS LIKE MAJOR EPILEPSY WORTHY!

* I cannot stress enough how I'm getting addicted to anti-aging regimens. For the past three nights, I've been applying my eye cream thrice each time. As in apply-absorb-apply-absorb-apply-absorb. I just want to make sure I've done everything I can to take care of it. I've had under-eye lines ever since I can remember. I can blame genetics for this. Even my brother Joop has lines- he's 16! AND PLEASE Don't even try calling it wrinkles. HAHA

*I need to lighten my skin again. I got toasted for swimming three days in a row this week! It was good- especially for cardio but when I look at my arms and back- ack, sunburn! On the night of the first swim, I couldn't sleep on my back coz my shirt would rub against my burned skin.

AND OH!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY TO MY DAD AND BOSS!

I LOVE YOU SO MUCH DADDY!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY ALSO TO MY BROTHER JOM!

For being a great dad to Julian.

My surprisingly kalog dad

Jom and Julian cuddling.

Bicolandia

Tomorrow morning I'm off to Bicol to spend the week there. My Tito Gerry, dad's brother who's based in Australia arrived last Wednesday and immediately flew to Bicol the next day. I was too happy (he's my favorite uncle because he's so kalog) so I said if I find cheap tickets I'd book and fly to Bicol. Thanks to my favorite airline PAL, I got a roundtrip ticket to Legaspi for 3600+. Not bad for a 'spur of the moment' trip.

Anyway, I'm excited. But because it'll be me and my two little girl cousins most of the time, I decided to bring them pasalubong. I got them Disney Princesses and Barbie coloring books with matching Crayola 64-color set. I find myself laughing because I never bought myself a 64-color crayon box. I remember having a huge box of crayons but I can't remember if it was 64 or the bigger one. And I remember refusing to use a broken crayon when I was a kid. HAHAHA I also remember being inggit of the pages my mom colored. They were too pretty and then I try to copy it but I fail miserably all the time.

I'm excited to spend afternoons coloring the books with the girls! They're like the little sisters I never had.

Skin deep

We all need a little help from science so when I hit the 20's, there was this instant increase of well, concern about aging. I bought an eye cream for the first time, religiously slathered moisturizer and began ditching products without sunscreen.

My skin is far from flawless so I'm not the best person to share you my tips. Whenever it's that time of the month, I get one or two zits that drive me nuts because my skin scars very fast. So before my previous scar fades, here comes new ones. Sophie of Beautynomics recommended regular diamond peels to get rid of the scars. I have diamond peels but only when I feel like it. Maybe I'll make it regular so I can see results.

Anyway because I'm mababaw like that, here are my skin savers.

Olay Tota Effects- Junjun should give me free bottles for the PR. haha Light on the skin, and has SPF.

Avalon Organics Vitamin C eye cream- This replaced my Olay eye cream which I wasn't satisfied with. Been using this only for a week. So far it's good and ultra-moisturizing.

Clindamycin from my derma and Benzac for emerging zits. Benzac saved my skin in Sophomore year. Bought a tube again recently because my skin seemed to be temporarily immuned to clindamycin.

For extra protection, I apply sunscreen bought from my derma.

Take care of your skin! Ten years from now, your patience from slathering all those creams will be rewarded.

Baz Luhrmann

Maybe you've read this but in case you haven't, I'd like to share this speech. I stumbled upon this article when I was a freshman. I found it on a blog of a CBA student who was three or four years my senior, if I'm not mistaken. Of course that time I was naive and I didn't give much attention to the piece. But in college, I came across this a few times. Apparently it's quite popular. Anyway, here goes!

Ladies and gentlemen of the class of '97:

Wear sunscreen.

If I could offer you only one tip for the future, sunscreen would be it. The long-term benefits of sunscreen have been proved by scientists, whereas the rest of my advice has no basis more reliable than my own meandering experience. I will dispense this advice now.

Enjoy the power and beauty of your youth. Oh, never mind. You will not understand the power and beauty of your youth until they've faded. But trust me, in 20 years, you'll look back at photos of yourself and recall in a way you can't grasp now how much possibility lay before you and how fabulous you really looked. You are not as fat as you imagine. Don't worry about the future. Or worry, but know that worrying is as effective as trying to solve an algebra equation by chewing bubble gum.

The real troubles in your life are apt to be things that never crossed your worried mind, the kind that blind side you at 4pm on some idle Tuesday.

Do one thing every day that scares you.

Sing.

Don't be reckless with other people's hearts. Don't put up with people who are reckless with yours.

Floss.

Don't waste your time on jealousy. Sometimes you're ahead, sometimes you're behind. The race is long and, in the end, it's only with yourself.

Remember compliments you receive. Forget the insults. If you succeed in doing this, tell me how.

Keep your old love letters. Throw your old bank statements.

Stretch.

Don't feel guilty if you don't know what you want to do with your life. The most interesting people I know didn't know at 22 what they wanted to do with their lives. Some of the most interesting 40 year olds I know still don't know.

Get plenty of calcium. Be kind to your knees. You'll miss them when they're gone.

Maybe you'll marry, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll have children, maybe you won't. Maybe you'll divorce at 40, maybe you'll dance the funky chicken on your 75th anniversary. Whatever you do, don't congratulate yourself too much, or berate yourself either. Your choices are half chance. So are everybody else's.

Enjoy your body. Use it every way you can. Don't be afraid of it or of what other people think of it. It's the greatest instrument you'll ever own.

Dance, even if you have nowhere to do it but your living room.

Read the directions, even if you don't follow them.

Do not read beauty magazines. They will only make you feel ugly.

Get to know your parents. You never know when they'll be gone for good.

Be nice to your siblings. They're your best link to your past and the people most likely to stick with you in the future.

Understand that friends come and go, but with a precious few you should hold on. Work hard to bridge the gaps in geography and lifestyle, because the older you get, the more you need the people who knew you when you were young.

Live in New York City once, but leave it before it makes you hard. Live in Northern California once, but leave before it makes you soft.

Travel.

Accept certain inalienable truths: Prices will rise. Politicians will philander. You, too, will get old. And when you do, you'll fantasize that when you were young, prices were reasonable, politicians were noble, and children respected their elders.

Respect your elders.

Don't expect anyone else to support you. Maybe you have a trust fund. Maybe you'll have a wealthy spouse. But you never know when either one might run out.

Don't mess around too much with your hair or by the time you're 40 it will look 85.

Be careful whose advice you buy, buy be patient with those who supply it. Advice is a form of nostalgia. Dispensing it is a way of fishing the past from the disposal, wiping it off, painting over the ugly parts and recycling it for more than it's worth.

But trust me on the sunscreen.

Time

A year and seven months ago, Julian came to our lives. It's true when they say kids are blessings from God. True too, there are kids who are irritating and could make you go ballistic but we cannot deny the joy that kids bring to the people surrounding them.

Whenever Julian comes over to visit, I never fail to say 'Big boy ka na. Di ka na baby!' Kids grow up so fast! I remember cuddling him with utmost care because he was so small. I could babysit him all day because all he does is sleep and drink milk. But now, his mommy and daddy can't leave him at with us without one of them staying.

Here's snippets of Julian.

Clockwise: Barely a month old- probably three months-

10 months and then the last photo was taken two weeks ago.

My dad's a little different now. I guess that's how all grandparents are. Plus the fact that Julian was born in the Year of the Rat like my dad- mas natuwa yung dad ko. (He's practices Feng Shui.hehe)

We're all spoilers here at home. When my brother and Julian comes over and then Sarah goes to work, we allow Julian to walk barefoot (even on soil! haha), drink Coke or iced tea, and walk around without diapers. That's how kids are eh. They should get dirty once in a while. Then when Sarah's on her way to pick them up, we'd clean him up like nothing happened. hahaha After all, it's not part of our jobs to discipline him. Such difficult task is exclusively for parents. HAHA

Oh, the joys of having kids at home. Nakakabata na nakakatanda- you feel youthful coz you're surrounded with positivity but then you realize they grow up so fast meaning you're old. aaack! I guess that's why I'm semi-obsessing about sunscreen and eye creams. I need all the help I can afford. hahaha

Random Thoughts Part 2

In time with the proclamation of Aquino and Binay, I am writing the rest of my doodles from last Tuesday.

Random Thought # 5

RECOMMENDATIONS TO THE NEW GOVERNMENT

- Support the indigenous people of the Philippines

Give them their heritage land

Provide education in their areas

Train tribespeople to chronicle their traditions

Include them in the preservation programs of the National Commission of Culture and the Arts

Share their culture to students. Not all Filipinos know that these cultural groups exist

- Build tenements for homeless families. Give the place for free but make them pay their utilities and they should maintain the cleanliness, peace and order in the building. Give them decent and legal jobs. That way they are able to pay for their utilities.

- Increase the salaries of public school teachers. NUFF SAID.

- Please fix our transportation system. Upgrade our trains and stations and connect them to major structures. Decrease the number of buses and jeepneys in EDSA. The never get filled up anyway. Disallow motorcycles in major roads. They cause too much accidents. Standardize taxis- and have receipts. Remove all things kolorum on the road. Okay I have too much to list. In short, VISIT SINGAPORE AND SEE WHAT I MEAN.

-Please upgrade NAIA 1. I have heard so much horror stories about it. NAIA 2 needs more food choices, more seats, and REAL FREE WiFi (not just a router signal. NAIA 3 is getting uglier every year so please make it fully operational para hindi nabubulok.

Random thought # 6

Hindi lahat ng taong nagsasabing sila'y mahirap ay totoong mahirap. There are those who have too many wants and indulge in unnecessary expenses that when put together could pay the bills. I have a relative who couldn't afford to pay their water bill for 11 months (grabe noh) until finally Maynilad decided to cut their water supply. But they buy groceries from S&R, go malling at Shangri-La and insist on having a helper at home. ANG LABO DIBA? Try niya mag grocery sa Puregold, mag mall sa SM at wag kumuha ng maid. I'm sooo sure mababayaran nila yung water bill. Meron naman akong classmate na sobrang yaman- as in they have more cars than the members of the family. But they buy groceries from Hi-Top. Sobrang astig. Alam niyo yung Hi-Top? Pang masa yung market nun. Kahit mayaman na sila, super practical pa rin nila. Winner!

-Fin-

Short term plans

While reading Bob Ong, my desire to study the culture of the Philippines just became stronger. I want to learn everything about our culture and eventually share it to Filipino kids who somehow, I feel, lack that sense of pride in being Filipino. I wanna be the ambassador of Filipino culture- take the knowledge to different schools sothat the passion for this country is sowed at a young age. I'd like to have Ma'am Norma Respicio as my mentor. But that's just because she's the only professor I've met who knows so much about the traditional Philippine culture. She's a super cool prof.

From L-R: Ram, Jewel, Myself, Ma'am Respi, Emm, Bee, Marian, Ali, Panx, Olga and Cancan

My best summer class in college.

Right now I really pray that Joop makes it to UP Diliman. Please pray for him too. If he makes it, my dad plans to take classes in UP too. Wala lang. Trip lang daw niya. So sasama ako, I'll take classes too. HAHA I super- AS IN MAJOR- want to learn about traditional culture and know everything by heart just like I know bags and brands.

Note to self: Start researching on Ma'am Respi's classes. Promise I will make time and drop by CAL to ask for their course outlines.

Random Thoughts Part 1

I sat at Starbucks while Dad went to a meeting this afternoon. I brought along my doodle notebook and a Bob Ong book Bakit Baliktad Magbasa ng Libro ang Pilipino?. It's the same book I brought with me during my flight to Singapore but I never got to finish it so I figured this was the day.

I couldn't help but stop and write on my notebook after every few flips of the page. This book is funny, at the same time sends a serious message to all the Filipinos- that we all have to love our country first before other nations love it. You can argue and say 'Love ko naman ang Pinas ah' yeah but how much? To what extent? Do you love it enough to obey traffic rules? To not cross the road, instead use the overpass? To declare you're Filipino when you're in other countries? Like what Sir Jim Lafferty always tells our class "A principle is not a principle until it costs you something." You will never prove your love for this country until you are placed in a sticky situation involving your nationality. This is not a book review so let me just end this paragraph by saying PLEASE READ THIS BOOK.

I'm thinking Noynoy should grab this book too. It's insightful. He doesn't have much insight about the lives of typical Filipinos. Not the poor-who-lives-in-the-slums type of people ok? I'm talking about Broad C class. Those who have 9-5 jobs, blue collar jobs, legal jobs. Not those who live on dole outs. He's been stuck with his mom all his life. He hates traveling (he says he's like a fish out of the water when he's out of the country) and if at all he goes out of the country, he gets VIP treatment so he never had the chance to experience what regular Filipinos have to go through to survive abroad. My point it, he has to see the country's problems through the eyes of regular people. (Not through the eyes of Kris Aquino. Sorry I had to say it.)

BACK TO MY RANDOM THOUGHTS...

Random Thought # 1

I wonder...Do Starbucks security guards get to drink Starbucks coffee too? I know for a fact that baristas are entitled to one drink per day (if I remember it right) but are security guards entitled also? Please let me know and take away the heaviness that I felt in my heart earlier when I drank my frap and ate my cinnamon swirl on the table in front of the guard. This is the same feeling I get when I'm in expensive stores. Like the ONLY time I was at Adora I thought 'DO THESE PEOPLE EVEN WEAR THE BRANDS THEY SELL?'

RT # 2

Grabe my handwriting is so chaka. It's only a liiiitle bit more decent than a doctor's prescription. I realized I haven't written on paper (except my signatures in office documents) for the longest time! My college notes are nicely written. Not this kind of handwriting. I have different kinds of handwriting. There's 'Sinisipag' handwriting. That one when you write your notes and homeworks. There's the 'random scribbles' - legible but obviously written without much caution. And then there's 'hinahabol ang thoughts kasi baka makalimutan bago pa maisulat' kind of handwriting where the end of each word is almost just a wave, a line or a dot-dot-dot. HAHA Do you have different handwritings too?

RT # 3

The girl who was in line behind me ordered her drink with a twang. I thought she was the typical Pinay who grew up in the States kind of girl so I really didn't mind. And then when I sat, she and her girlfriend (yes, you read that right) were just a table away from me. I was able to hear some of their conversation. SUS GINOO, TAGALOG NAMAN PALA. Ang arte arte pa. KAINIS. And because they were talking in audible levels, I found out they're varsities in UP. HAY IMBYERNA.

RT #3.5 Labeled as such because I didn't really write this on my notebook. Related lang sa number 3.

Anyway I was sitting by the window so I could see the people who were sitting at the outdoor seats of Starbucks. There's this girl who kept glancing at me- I caught her twice. But I really didn't mind. It wasn't elevator looks naman. I figured she was trying to see what book I was reading. But later on, you know the feeling na wala naman ginagawa sa iyo pero nayayabangan ka sa aura niya (and madalas tama ka sa kutob mo? Na niyayabangan ka nga niya?) So yeah I kinda felt that toward her but didn't bother and just kept reading. APPARENTLY SHE'S FROM UP. (Over dinner her group passed by the resto where dad and I were eating and she was with some guy who was my classmate in PE before.) Conclusion: MAYABANG PALA ANG TAGA UP WHEN YOU LOOK AT IT FROM AN OUTSIDER'S PERSPECTIVE. I mean at this point I'm not a student anymore so I totally look normal and not so UP-ish. Maybe she thought I'm a call center agent on coffee break at Starbucks Technohub. SORRY YOUNG LADY, NAUNA PA AKONG MAGING TAGA UP SA IYO. DI MO AKO MAIINTIMIDATE. AND I'M SO SURE, HINDI KA TAGA COLLEGE KO. (hahahaha *evil laugh* I love CBA! Best college ever. We're the hope of this country. hahaha)

RT #4 - This thought was brought about by an entry in the book of Bob Ong. Page 136

I would never deny I'm Filipino. Maybe there are times I'm embarrassed like when our politicians do something stupid and gets broadcasted all over the world. But never to deny it. There is so much beauty in this country. So many good memories. Denying I'm Filipino is likr turning your back to the country that molded you. Turning your back to everyone who's part of your life. It's like not having any roots at all. And once one is not rooted to a heritage, he becomes a homeless wanderer with no one to run to. I quote: "...I can say with confidence that no other race around the world could be as generous, dignified and as noble as we are."-Bob Ong

Part 2 pag sinipag ulit ako. ;)

LITTLE THOUGHTS SCREAMING IN MY HEAD

What I really want to do is to travel, *** and make people happy. I can't bring myself to say the second one because I do not have the guts to declare to the world it's what I'd like to do.

An alternative to that would be have successful businesses, help other people better their lives, support up and coming artists in their craft and travel the world.

I guess traveling is the common denominator here. Never mind if I have to sit in the plane for 18 hours, skip a bath or something like that. Nothing compares to seeing the big and beautiful world out there.

London

Sometimes I wish my grandparents were suuuper rich that my family and even my grandkids could live on inheritance and did not need to work. That way we can just be busy planning our next destination. These people do exist! But I'm not one of them. I know people who never had to work to afford the luxe life. I have a classmate whose mom lived on inheritance. And most probably she will too. What I like about her is she's nice to me. She's nice to everybody. She never bragged a about it. I just, well, heard through the grapevine.

India (photo of the Taj Mahal from Jego Bolinao)

Anyway, so what I really want to do... I guess I'm waiting for a door to open. It's not that I'm not running after my dreams. I just don't know where to start. I don't know which one I'll do first. So I sit and wait. I let plans for me unfold while I figure out my own plans. Besides, I have no means. I cannot afford to leave and come back when I want to. We don't grow money trees. But once I have the means and the plan, maybe when they're clear enough, I can muster enough guts to ask for a break and do what I want to do.

Paris

In hindsight, maybe I'm busy making other people's dreams come true? UGH. I need social contact! Silence is driving me crazy!!!

London and Paris photos from Google.

Six Products I can't live without

Last night I was bored and still not sleepy so I decided to watch makeup videos on youtube. With the many videos I've seen, I came up with my own six things.

Note: Six things only cover personal care. That said, let's begin! *Ohghad I hope I keep it in six because I have a lot of stuff. I'm writing this without pre-listing so good luck to me!*

1. Shampoo & Conditioner (haha ang daya ko!)- my current brand is Head&Shoulders in pink. I'm a brand butterfly when it comes to shampoos because I have not yet found THE ONE. Well, it's actually Kerastase but it's too expensive. In my brand-hopping, I've gone through almost all the brands in the supermarket from Sunsilk,Palmolive to Rejoice, pricey ones like VO5 and Elseve, tried organic ones from Human Nature but here I am, back with the world's number one. I realized that the conditioner really works! My hair is in its normal frizzy state when I just use shampoo (unless I've recently had an olive oil treatment, then it stays really nice). So the conditioner really seals moisture and doesn't make my scalp itchy.

2. Deodorant - NAMAN! Try mo to live without it. Even your housemates won't survive. HAHAHA

3. Papaya frost soap from Holic Body treats (holicbodytreats.multiply.com hehe)- I use it for my face but works pretty good for the body too so if I'd get stuck in an island, I'd pick this. Double purpose.

In the photo are some of those I listed.

4. Moisturizer with Sunscreen - Olay Total Effects with SPF 15. I use it in the morning and evening. (Even with the SPF) When it's extra hot or when I'm sinisipag, I apply a layer of sunscreen from my derma, SPF 30. Btw, when counting SPF that you're wearing, you only get the highest SPF as the total protection. In my case, Olay SPF 15 + derma SPF 30 = SPF 30. Divide it by 6 and you get the number of hours you are 'protected'.

5. Concealer and setting powder (okay madaya nanaman ako! ang hiraaap. Tandem kasi sila ok?) - long time brand of concealer is Cinema Secrets but I recently bought a MAC concealer pot in Singapore. I was originally given NW30 for my skin. McCartney, the name of the makeup artist who accommodated me did a patch test. It looked right that time but when applied in natural light, it looks too dark so I had it changed. Buti nalang MAC (at least in SG) accepts color changes even if you kinda touched the makeup na. So Genie the other makeup artist tried a shade lighter, NW25 and it looked better. Will road test it when I finally decide to go out of the house. Right now I'm still tired from all the walking we did in SG and the rainy weather makes me lazy to go out. Setting poweder- Ellana Mineral foundation in Cafe Mocha.

6. This is so hard but I pick lip balm with SPF as my 6th item. I hate dry lips but I also hate the feel of Chapstick on the lips. It's too artificial and topical. Parang layer lang talaga ng oil over your lips. I want my balm to be absorbed so I know it the lips really get nourished. I use Desert Essence Lip Rescue with Shea butter from Healthy Options. It smells and tastes so good and it feels natural on the lips.

OKAY I JUST WANT TO COMPLETE IT SO LET'S EXTEND. It this was Ten Things I can't Live Without...the next four would be...

7. Eyelash curler- after getting Shu Uemura back in 2005, I've never changed my brand. SHU IS JUST PERFECT.

8. VEET. One of my pet peeves are exposed hairy legs of women. SERIOUSLY??? DON'T YOU EVER LOOK AT YOUR LEGS BEFORE WEARING THAT SKIRT, DRESS OR SHORTS? hahahaha

9. Non-sticky lotion. I currently like Vaseline aloe fresh. The scent is so light and it's not greasy. In this heat I normally don't put lotion but I try to moisturize my elbows, ankles and knees. If I'm commuting, I don't put on lotion because it'll just make me sweat which really irritates me.

10. AAAND finally! Tweezers! To groom my eyebrows.

OKAY DONE! I would have included bronzer, mascara, lip&cheek stain, body mist, eye cream etc. BUT I KNOW THE LIST WON'T END. haha

Try listing your 6-10 products too and let's see if it fits! :)

Sidetrip to Malaysia

Malaysia is minutes away from Singapore. But Kuala Lumpur is 6 hours away.

Tita Belen (Ana's mom), Ana and I scoured their version of Cubao on Wednesday, Day 2. It was the night before we plan to leave for KL. It so happened it was a holiday in Singapore on Friday, which means long weekend aka out of town ang buong Singapore to Malaysia. It was sooo hard for us to find 5 tickets to Malaysia.

We hopped from one bus line to another in the hopes of getting tickets. When we finally gave up, the lady office we visited earlier said "HALLO HALLO!" while we walked outside their door. She magically had five tickets (she originally had four only so we walked away). LUCKY US!

Thursday evening we left for Malaysia. We had to go through immigration twice- one at the Singapore exit, second at the entrance to Malaysia. You'd really see the difference in the progress of the two countries. Singapore immigration was huuuge and clean. Malaysia immigration was old, third world and primitive. (Please don't judge immediately- read til the end. haha) No immigration photos pala coz it's not allowed. You don't want to violate Singapore laws- they're damn serious about it. I got so tense when an immigration officer escorted me from the counter and asked a few questions.

Officer: First time in Singapore?

Me: Yes

O: Where are you going?

M: Kuala Lumpur

O: What will you do there?

M: Oh, sightseeing!

Then he let me go. HAHA Kaloka!

On board the SUPER VIP Coach, we had our own televisions, reclining seats with leg rests, and a towel/blanket and free bottled water. I planned on sleeping but Ana picked a super good movie Ip Man 1. It's Chinese but has subtitles naman. Super good movie- it's the story of Master Ip, Bruce Lee's mentor in real life. Calculating that, I think I only had less than 2 hours of sleep.

We also had a stop over in some Malaysian bus station like that stops of carinderias in provinces. Ana and I had to pee so we got off the bus. GRABE KADIRE YUNG BANYO. It was all squat rooms. (We should have peed in the cubicle in the bus.)

Not the actual photo- but it did look something like this. This one's a cleaner version.

Good thing we found two 'normal' cubicles. But it was still icky. FEELING NAMIN MAGKAKASAKIT KAMI. When we got back to the bus, we slathered sanitizer! haha Ana said 'I hope KL is worth that banyo trip.' I couldn't agree more. It's enough for me to not go back to Malaysia because of that banyo.

Anyway, we arrived at Bukit Bintang station at 5 AM. I was so groggy when Tita Belen said we have to get off the coach already. Indian teksi (taxi) drivers immediately approached us to offer a ride. DON'T RIDE TAXIS IMMEDIATELY. On the car they post 'THIS IS A METERED TAXI' but the truth is, you have to negotiate with them before you hop in. THEY CHARGE PER HEAD! hellooooo??? Sana jeep or bus ka nalang diba?

Good thing there was a Malaysian guy who was in the same trip as ours. Tita Belen asked him how we can get to Petronas. He said we can take the train. We waited til 5:30 or 6 for the station to open. Their train is so small!

Shot of their train station. I'm standing at the other end. See how small it is?

Petronas is three stations away from Bukit Bintang. Hop off at Bukit Nanas and you'll see Petronas. You can walk from Bukit Nanas.

Shot from Bukit Nanas train station

Tita Belen led us to Petronas. I initially thought she was super in a hurry (hello it's 6-ish in the morning only) but when we got to the sky bridge lobby, WOAH, the line was THISLOOOONG. I thought we were early. NOT.

We sat because only one representative was allowed to line up for a group- that's Tita Belen. A lot of Caucasian backpackers, Indians and Filipinos were there too. We were so lucky because only a few people away from Tita Belen and then the line was cut off already! They limit the number of visitors per day. Something like 20 people per batch and then 10 minutes per batch in the sky bridge.

Grand lobby of Petronas.

We were scheduled to view at 4:15 which gave us 7 hours to go around KLCC mall which inside the Petronas Complex. By the way, it's PEtronas and not peTROnas like Bea Alonzo pronounced in Miss You Like Crazy.

Anyhoo, KLCC mall is big! the second floor is entirely dedicated to designer brands such as Tod's, Prada, Etienne Aigner, Karen Miller, Gucci, Bvlgari etc! The rest of the mall houses brands we can afford naman so we weren't entirely losers. haha

Lots of tourists there too. I guess we were all just waiting for our time to go up the sky bridge. hehe

Come 4 pm we made our way to the sky bridge lobby. There was a video presentation for everyone in the 4:15 group. Basically about what Petronas is, how they built the tower, the programs of Petronas are, etc.

Then, off to the 41st floor to view! In the elevator, you'd feel your ears pop due to the change in pressure. The tourists use the 1st floor of the bridge, the second floor is for employees of the building.

After 10 minutes, we were asked to go to make way for the next group. When we were about to go, it started raining so we stayed at the lobby to wait for the rain to stop. We sat on the stairs, beside two Korean girls. Then this two Puerto Rican guys or (Israelis?) to have a photo taken with us. WIIILD! Akala namin manyak. Pero harmless naman. Naaliw lang ata sa amin- seven of us, six girls and Nonoy (Ana's teen brother) all looking haggard, sitting on the steps. HAHA PARANG TANGA LANG. Anyway, Tita Belen said to the other guy 'you join the photo and my daughter will take the picture'. One guy had his arms around the Koreans pa! Buti I was sitting on the topmost step, so the guy was stuck at the lower steps with the Koreans to his left and Tita Belen on his right. hahaha The bald guy (who had his arms extended to the shoulder of the Koreans sat in front of me. I wanted to make a funny 'sungay' but was afraid maybe he'd find me and stalk me and take revenge so I smiled the normal 'WTF-am-I-doing-having-photos-with-strangers' kind of smile. They thanked us before leaving but I saw through the glass doors they showed the photo to another guy. Pabida lang. haha I dunno, maybe I'm still adjusting to being more open-minded to other tourists. Mejo takot pa ako to mingle with them.

It was only drizzling so we made our way back to Bukit Nanas station and back to where we were dropped off by the bus. THIS IS WHERE THE STRESSFUL PART OF THE TRIP STARTED. We went into Times Square mall to grab a snack before looking for the pick-up point of the bus. After finishing our Auntie Anne's pretzels, we left to find the pick up point. It was raining again. UGHHHH! We had to brave the rain (or else we'd miss the bus) only to find out the pick up point is the same as the drop off point earlier that day. The lady who gave us our tickets market the wrong building on the map she gave us. UGH I WANTED TO GO BACK AND KILL HER. We were all wet when we got back to Times Square mall. We invaded the restroom to clean up, change clothes (I almost changed into the dress that I bought but I didn't want to wear a dress in the bus so I just had a hanky placed on my back to absorb the rainwater.

We had a quick dinner- I had laksa which I failed to take a photo of because I was so tired. haha We left to be at the pick up point again but our coach was chaka! It was small and it was shared TV. They showed Ip Man 2 but it had no subtitles coz it was a new movie. (I'm guessing it's pirated coz Ip Man 2 is still showing in theaters haha) I was so tired I fell asleep in a matter of minutes. It was a shaky sleep but it was a sleep nonetheless.

We had to go through SG and Malaysia immigrations again. This time Malaysia immigration was big and nice! I think they constructed the 'Exit to Malaysia' immigration building first. The 'Entry to Malaysia' immigration was really primitive compared to this one.

We arrived at Singapore at 4:30 AM. We originally planned to wait for the train but the first trip is at 6:05. I guess Tita Belen pitied us- we lacked sleep so gora na, taxi na!

Grabe, first thing I did was take a bath. grabehan. Kuskos three times. Then breakfast, and then sleep.

P.S. If you're planning to go, our bus ticket cost $93 per head, round trip. That's expensive because we bought tickets late. It can go as low as $65 if you book earlier. Take the Super VIP types of coaches. The lower categories of seats aren't quite comfortable. hehe

Singapore Day 0 and 1

I'm back from lah-lah-land Singapura! It was an amazing week! Super major Alay Lakad everyday but the disciplined people, the organized buses and trains and the aircon malls and underpasses made it quite enjoyable.

Merlion in Sentosa

Ana picked me up from the airport and lent me an ezlink card (like the prepaid card in our MRT). We took bus 53 to get home. My flight was in the evening so Day 0 was basically just me arriving, meeting her parents and sibs and planning where to go.

Day 1 was Sentosa Day. The train to Sentosa starts at the topmost floor of Vivo City Mall so it was super convenient. We had ben&Jerry's A Cookie Love Affair at Vivo before riding the train to Sentosa. It was tempting to forego Sentosa and just shop and shop but we went anyway. haha

Ben&Jerry's. We tried their latest flavor- A Cookie Love Affair. YUM!

Ana and I didn't buy the activity packages because they didn't fit the choices we wanted. We opted to buy per ride so we can pick. We tried the sky ride, luge and the zipline. The skyride reminded me of Aga Muhlach and Kristine Hermosa in All My Life. The first ride, we freaked out like crazy coz the only thing that keeps passengers safe is a metal bar with a plastic thingy that sits in between your legs. Get this- the seats don't stop as you ride. What you do is you stand on the yellow circle, the seat will scoop you, the metal bar comes down and viola! You're riding it!

READ: The Skyride does not stop when boarding AKA good luck, habulin mo. hahaha

The second time we were quiet and calm already. Apparently we made the wrong move of finishing all the skyrides first and then continuing to the luge. It's supposed to be skyride-luge-skyride-luge because while you are on the skyride, your luge car is fastened under your seat. (Do a mental note if you're planning to go!) The solution? We got a free skyride! This third skyride we were already bored. haha

We didn't visit Universal Studios because Battlestar Galactica was still closed due to suspicion of glitches in the ride. It was the only thing I wanted to ride so I thought it wasn't gonna be worth it. It was so hot the whole day and I feel bad for not bringing sunscreen. I thought SPF 15 in the morning would suffice. NOT.

For dinner we had minced pork noodles at White Sands mall at Pasir Ris train station. We weren't able to take a shot coz we were so hungry we ate immediately!

I didn't bring my camera to our shopping trips because it was too heavy and will affect my shopping momentum. Next post is Malaysia! :)